Sue here back from the blogging grave for a moment. Today is August 1st. Seven months ago today was Graham and I’s second anniversary. We were celebrating with some takeout from Olive Garden, eaten in front of the TV watching a movie I can’t remember now. I had essentially been in labor of one form or another for the past three weeks at that point, so nothing was super comfortable, but it was a good day. A sweet day. It felt almost stolen, in a way, after several weeks of hospital stays and bed rest to be doing something so normal and “us.” From that place, sitting on the couch, eating my fettucine alfredo (yum), it was hard to imagine life any other way than that, just the two of us, loving life.

The next day at the same time, I was in a hospital triage room with nurses and doctors swirling in and out explaining the upcoming surgery, preparing Graham and I for what was to come, telling us we were finally about to meet our babies.

The very first picture

January 2, 2012. I was just 33 weeks along, but it was far enough. Evelyn Ann was born at 9:41 PM a whopping 3 pounds and 15 ounces. Abigail Elisabeth followed (or was brought out ratherJ) a minute later weighing in at 4 pounds and 11.5 ounces. My little babies. They took them away right away, I didn’t get to hold them or kiss them. I met them the next morning. I couldn’t believe they were mine. They were so little and small and delicate. I couldn’t believe they would let me hold them, but they did. IVs and lines and all. I was, after all, their mother. And they were my girls.

Tomorrow my little babies will turn seven months old. SEVEN. MONTHS. OLD. I would say where has the time gone, except that I can tell you exactly where it has gone: diapers, nursing, crying (them), playing, not sleeping, more diapers, playing, crying (me), laughing, cuddling and walks and long nights and long days and baths and changing clothes and wiping off spit up and other stuff, and the list can go on. We’re tired. It has been the hardest, most challenging, most humbling, most exhausting, and most enthralling, most entertaining, most wonderful thing we’ve ever done. From where I sit now, it seems almost like a blur, a blink of the eye.

Evelyn is now 14 pounds and is our little Zen baby. She was infamous early on for these wise, sage-like looks. She didn’t smile often, and when she did it was hard won. She looked at us like she was taller than us. Like she knew a lot more, and was slightly disappointed in our performance as parents. But then, slowly but surely, she started smiling. And it’s the sweetest little twinkly smile. She giggles when you kiss her neck. She has blue eyes that are starting to look a bit hazel in the right light, little string bean legs that we’re convinced are dancer legs. We think she’ll be a ballerina- she has the pretty dark hair and delicate features- she’s so pretty. She talks and blows bubbles and looks at you like you ought to understand and will jabber back when you talk to her. She sucks her thumb when she’s bored, but wants her paci when she’s tired. She is so precious and shy and just steals your heart. And she always crosses her legs at the ankle like the true Southern lady she is.

Evelyn at 6 months (CBM Photo)

LIKES: Her daddy. Her pacifier (she holds it like a cigarette and takes long drags on it before popping it out and holding it in her hand for a while). Her teething toy from Amy LaBarr and Nicole Shields (thanks girls!). Kicking her legs like a crazy person. Rolling over. Rolling back. Being outside, anytime, anyplace. Avocado. Her playmat. Diaper changes. “Kissing” momma’s nose, and holding momma’s hair. Stealing toys from her sister. Rolling on to her sister. Anything Abby related. (We also think she probably likes masterminding shennagians involving herself and her sister, and perhaps planning world domination, but she just can’t act on those yet)

DISLIKES: Baby rice cereal. Being in her carseat for extended periods of time. Going to sleep. Being swaddled. Being told what to do in general (I’m a peacock, Captain…you gotta let me fly!). Dairy (sad for momma). Tummy time. Socks. Shoes.

Abby is 15 pounds and our Wonder Baby. We’re pretty convinced that every day is pretty much the best day ever for her. She’s our little extrovert. She has the bluest eyes, the softest most beautiful skin and these big clear cheeks that just kill you. We like to say she smiles with her whole body- her little shoulders scrunch up and her cheeks and chin jut out and she just grins. She has one tooth! Her hair is light brown and thicker right on top- it curls into an awesome fauxhawk when she’s fresh from her bath. Her face is so open and precious I just want to eat her! She laughs this hiccupy little laugh when you do pretty much anything. She is passionate- whether she’s happy or sad you’ll know it. She sucks her fingers, but loves her paci. Her legs are chubby and she just melts into you when you hold her. She falls asleep with both arms behind her head like she’s on a beach somewhere relaxing- and has ever since her NICU days under the blue bili lightsJ She sighs sometimes as if to say it’s all so wonderful she hardly knows how to contain it.

The Wonder Baby at 6 months (CBM Photo)

LIKES: Everything. Her daddy. Her pink blanket (she sleeps with it over her face now, which freaks me out but she’s deteremined). Her “book” (teething book). Anything I have in my hand. Food. More food. Pretty clothes and headbands (she grins every time I dress her up). Anything her sister does. Cuddling. Rolling over and around. Kicking. Talking. Music and dancing. Diaper changes and laying on the changing table looking at the map. Smiling, smiling’s her favorite.

DISLIKES: The nasal aspirator. Anything that touches her nose. Having a cold. The sun (solar sneezer!). Being left alone. Having to wait to eatJ

We are so blessed. Tonight was spent quite differently than that night seven months ago. We fed the girls pureed avocado (they loved it) for the second time, spent equal amounts of time cleaning up what they spit out, and attempted to eat dinner ourselves. We cleaned the girls up, changed them, put on their pajamas, I nursed, then put them down to sleep. I are now slumped on the couch in our living room hoping to be in bed by 9pm. And it’s awesome. And crazy. 96% of the time, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The other 4% of the time, I’m just overly tired and don’t know what I want.

Maybe one day I’ll backlog the last few months, but let’s be honest, that’s probably not going to happen. We quite literally have our hands full most of the day (and night too- praying they sleep better soon!)- but I’d like to. Until then, thank you for loving our girls! We are so taken with them, it is icing on the cake to have friends and family who are delighted with them too.

We got up this morning at 430 to get ready for our trip to UNC. Surgeries are scheduled by age, which meant we were certain Abigail would win the opening slot. We were there by 630 and of course Abigail was winning all the hearts of nurses, doctors, and any passer-by. Here is a picture with her and the nurse:

Abigail winning the affection and adoration of all

Abigail was taken back at 730, the surgery started roughly around 830, and she was out of there by about 930. Dr. Gage reported that the surgery went smoothly as was expected. The mass was smaller than anticipated, but it had intertwined with some of the muscle. He had to pull some of that back, which will simply cause some more discomfort in the days to come. The muscle itself will heal just fine in time.

The scar is about an inch or so long and a centimeter wide (a little war wound from the effects of the Fall). Most of the discomfort Abigail felt when she woke up was from the anesthesia, but her whimper was tough to bear. The doctors will do a test on the lesion to know more of what we were dealing with.

Abigail is resting well now along with her mom. The next couple of days will be uncomfortable for her, but she has already proven herself to be a warrior. Pray for wisdom in how to best take care of her during this time.

Evelyn stayed home with Nina (my mom), and seemed to enjoy herself almost too much.Here is picture of that:

We were so blessed to have Mimi and Grandpa (Mr. and Mrs. Hall, Sue’s Parents) to be there with us in the hospital. They were invaluable encouragement and support. Nina will be with us a couple more days to help take care of Evelyn while Susan and I can focus a bit more on Abigail during her recovery.

Overall the whole process went so smoothly, and we could not be more thankful for the outcome. We were even able to come home the same day, which was a wonderful blessing.

I cannot thank everyone enough for all the prayers, encouragement, and support. It was truly a community effort, and we are so humbled and grateful that the LORD responded so graciously. We praise the LORD for His goodness manifested to our sweet little girl.

Please keep Abigail in your prayers as she takes the next couple of days/weeks to recover.

We are so overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of support and prayer we have received concerning our little baby girl, Abigail. It is humbling, but we are absolutely desperately dependent upon God’s grace through the prayers of the saints. Please labor with us for Abigail’s surgery tomorrow.

Her surgery is at 7:30 tomorrow morning at UNC Chapel Hill.

Here is a quick prayer guide:
1. Pray for the whole procedure
2. Pray for Abigail’s recovery
3. Pray for the logistics of Evelyn, family, hospitals, work
4. Pray for peace and strength to be faithful

Thank you once again. Prayer is powerful and rely on it. We will update tomorrow as soon as we can.

One of my favorite things during Susan’s pregnancy was the ultrasounds. We went into the first appointment not sure if wanted an ultrasound at all, but after realizing it would be helpful in the long run we decided to go for it.

That is when we found out we were having twins. (Very thankful for that nurse.)

Given the nature of Susan’s pregnancy we went from having one or two ultrasounds to having an abundance. This turned out to be a great joy for me, because I loved seeing my children develop from the size of a peanut to a small grapefruit.

The first ultrasound only showed what looked like dots. The fact that there was a “dot” let alone two was exhilarating. The next ultrasound they looked a bit alien-like (but still ever so lovely). It also looked as if they were dancing. I was absolutely amazed at their development and the technology that could give us a glimpse of the persons growing inside. The 4-D ultrasound was spectacular. It can depict very closely their features that they would carry outside the womb. I remember sitting there absolutely stunned that these beautiful children were mine.

Yet, even with all the technology the images of Evelyn and Abigail were still blurred. At the time I couldn’t imagine what they would look like or who they would look like (this is still very much up for debate). The thing Susan and I kept saying was that we couldn’t wait to officially meet them; to see them face to face.

Then that glorious day came, and I was finally blessed to lay my eyes on their faces for the first time unhindered. Their beauty was more than my mind could ever have imagined. What has been even sweeter is how much they have grown since then. It feels like I am constantly getting to know my daughters, with all the multifaceted features of their looks and personalities. I know that this is just the beginning to what will be a lifelong journey of knowing them and being known.

Such is the relationship of a father with his children, which I am most blessed to experience.

A question I loved to ask fathers before I myself took on the role was, “How has being a father enhanced or changed your view of God the Father?” It was usually a good conversational piece, but it also informed me much about how experiences in this life can teach us about greater spiritual truths.

When I reflect on this experience of seeing my girls’ faces dimly in the ultrasound pictures, then seeing them face to face, it reminded me of the Apostle Paul’s words:

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

If this life and the one after are at all analogous to my girls before and after their birth, then what indescribable joy awaits all those who believe in Him! We see dimly the picture of God’s grace, hope, and joy on this side of heaven, but oh what a promise of seeing God face to face, fully knowing as we are fully known. In expressible joy fulfilled. It is almost too much to bear as we reflect, but it is a hope that we must cultivate lest we grow content with the dim picture, not realizing the hope of an unhindered relationship with our Creator.

I believe that many of our experiences are faint echoes of the symphony of God’s grace and truth. If we could just slow down enough, we might just hear that sweet song and enter into worship of the King.

The results from the MRI were as the doctors had expected (which is a good thing). The lesion appears to be a vascular malformation, which would be best if extracted as these things have a tendency to grow. We will know exactly what it is once extracted and a biopsy is done. The lesion is about 5cm x 3cm x 1cm and is wrapped around the muscle in her lower back. By God’s sweet mercy and grace, the malformation is not disturbing the spine at all and there should be no long term effects functionally. (Aesthetically, there will be a small scar, which should be very minimal).

Surgery is still planned for Monday sometime in the morning.

All of this is a sweet blessing from the Lord and a gracious answer to much prayer. It has been a long two days at Chapel Hill but both Abigail and Evelyn were rock stars during the whole time. (And so was their mother…they take after her.) All the encouragement and prayers have been deeply felt and we could not imagine doing this without such incredible support.

We are so overwhelmed by God’s mercy in this situation, and we just glorify Him for this manifestation of grace in our lives.

Thank you so much for all your intercession for our precious Abigail. It was so encouraging to see the power of prayer at work not only in explicit expression but also in the intricacies of the seemingly insignificant events of the day.

Susan had been worried that Abigail would be absolutely miserable because she had to go on a four hour fast. (She likes to eat, just like her daddy). However, the Pedialyte seemed to put Abigail in somewhat a drunken stupor. She was so happy throughout the morning, the car ride, and even up to the point that we had to hand her over to the doctors (Check out the photo above taken before we headed to the hospital). Evelyn was just as well behaved. Though it sounds small, this really was a huge blessing, and greatly reduced our stress level throughout the whole process. I sincerely attribute this to prayer.

The MRI went really well according to all accounts of the doctors and nurses. Huge answer to prayer. We were expecting to take her home right after, but because of her premature status, it is policy to keep her overnight to monitor. So, the Michael family will be staying over night at UNC. By grace we were able to change the Wednesday appointment to tomorrow to avoid a three day consecutive trip to Chapel Hill.

We will know more tomorrow after her appointments. It is still looking like surgery, but after such a solid day of answered prayer, we are very encouraged and have all the more confidence as we go forward.

Once again, we could not do this without prayer. The Lord’s Presence has been consistently felt, for which we are most grateful.

I will update this again tomorrow night once all the dust settles from appointments and travels.

I just wanted to let you know the situation concerning our youngest daughter, Abigail. I assume many or all have already heard, but I thought it would be good to give some details on the situation.

Abigail has a lump of sorts on her lower back about the size of a golf ball. It has been there for several weeks now and we have seen various doctors and specialists to find out more. All were hoping it was a “Hemangioma“, which she would have outgrown eventually with little to no treatment. However, the symptoms did not match up (there was no discoloring externally) leaving the doctors uncertain of the exact diagnosis.

The placement of the lump (the doctors are calling it a “lesion”) is near her spine and it appears it continues to grow. The doctors at UNC have decided to go ahead and schedule an MRI for Abigail this Monday, April 23rd to know what we are dealing with and how deep the lesion is. Wednesday, April 25th, we will head back to the doctor to get the results of the MRI. The doctors have already scheduled an appointment for surgery to extract the lump for the following Monday, April 30th. This could change depending on the results of the MRI, but they wanted to go ahead and get her on the calendar.

By God’s grace Susan and I have been able to stay positive and for the most part maintain a sense of peace about the whole situation. We are confident that this will be a routine surgery and there will be little to no long term effects from the lesion. Our present concern is the MRI, and the fact that Abigail has to be put under for the operation. Though Abigail has maintained a weight advantage on her older sister since conception, she is still small and young, and this kind of procedure has its obvious risks. The other concern is the obvious discomfort that Abigail will experience throughout, whether it is the MRI or the surgery. I am comforted by the fact that I will have to explain this whole ordeal to her one day as she won’t remember it, but in the meantime, it is going to be tough for her mother and father to watch her discomfort.

Susan’s parents and my mom are coming to Wake Forest to offer support as well as additional care for Evelyn while we travel between hospital and home.

So, if you have made it this far down the letter, then I just ask you to pray for our family. Pray for Abigail’s healing. Pray for the doctor’s ability and skill in every procedure. Pray for our hearts that we are faithful in the midst of this trial, looking to Christ, finding strength and peace in Him.

Thank you for your prayers.

Post Script: We sincerely hope to update the blog more in the future detailing all the wonderful things that are happening in our lives (we are truly beyond blessed and thankful this whole season), lest every time you see a new blog you think that there is something wrong! We love you all, and we are so thankful for you visiting.